San Diego Padres DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (elbow) is in the team's Cactus League lineup on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, batting fourth and serving as the designated hitter. Machado has been somewhat limited early in camp after October elbow surgery, but manager Mike Shildt recently said that Machado was trending toward being full-go by Opening Day. It's been expected all along that Machado would be ready for the two-game series in Korea against the Los Angeles Dodgers late in March to kick off the season, although he may begin the regular season as the DH and not at the hot corner. The 31-year-old six-time All-Star hit only .258 (140-for-543), which was down from his .279 career average, but he still managed to reach the 30-homer mark for the seventh time in his career while coming nine RBI shy of 100 for the fourth time in his 12-year career. Machado remains a high-floor, high-end third baseman in fantasy.

San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (elbow) threw 32 pitches during live batting practice on Friday, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. He expects that his next appearance will come in a game, and he hopes to be ready for the Padres' regular season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Korea. This is a noteworthy update out of Spring Training given that Darvish's 2023 season was cut short when he underwent surgery to address elbow inflammation. He finished the year with a 4.03 FIP, 9.31 K/9, and 2.84 BB/9 through 24 starts.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove surrendered four earned runs during Thursday's Spring Training opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He struggled mightily in the role, surrendering a walk, single, and hit batter in the top of the first inning before allowing Teoscar Hernandez to drive in two runs with his double. After just four batters, Musgrave was pulled from the game, giving him a total of four earned runs, two hits, and zero outs in the contest. On a positive note, he has plenty of time to shake things off and get back on track before his next start.

San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth went 1-for-2 with a solo homer during Thursday's Spring Training opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres fell behind early and never came back, dropping the first game of Cactus League play by a score of 14-1. Cronenworth took a step back offensively in 2023 with a .229/.312/.378 slash line and just 10 homers, but his history as a fringe above-average player at the plate and in the field is just enough to suggest that last year may have been a fluke. He'll look to re-assert himself this spring, and Thursday's solo shot certainly helped.

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said that third baseman Manny Machado (elbow), who is coming off offseason shoulder surgery, will not play in the team's Cactus League opener on Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Machado is "trending in a really good place" and could serve as the designated hitter "sooner than later" in spring training games. Machado had surgery to fix the extensor tendon in his right elbow after last season, but he should be ready to go for Opening Day, even if he's serving as the team's DH to kick off the regular season. Even though the 31-year-old veteran slugger played through elbow pain for much of 2023, he still managed to hit 30 home runs and drive in 91 RBI, but his .781 OPS was his lowest mark since 2017. Machado is RotoBaller's No. 6 fantasy third baseman and still has a very high floor.